Azletar
"Azletar is the physical living avatar of the Warehouse." - Agent Aden Taylor beginning a journal on Azletar. Creation The "Homunculus" was a theoretical life-form proposed by Paracelsus, wherein a human could be artificially grown without the biological input of another human. During his tenure as the Caretaker of Warehouse 9, while he experimented with artifact-assisted alchemy, he manufactured a living specimen and kept it contained to observe its growth and development. Shortly soon after he conducted his experiments on immortality (it is currently suspected these experiments were related, but none of his studies on the matter have been decoded) and was subsequently Bronzed. All of his experiments were taken into Warehouse custody and his laboratory sealed. Early attempts to destroy the Homunculus were unsuccessful as it recovered quickly from physical damage and seemed to draw energy from fire. Eventually it was encased in a large clay pot submerged in a proto-neutralizer (purple swamphen blood and bile) and forgotten. Recent History in 2013, Paracelsus was de-Bronzed and resumed his authoritarian control over the Warehouse (see Regent Incident Log Sutton-4.19). During his takeover, masses of artifact-infused energies were unleashed as parts of the Warehouse died, were overloaded or simply became overly excited by the chaos. Colossal errant static balls roamed the aisles, especially in sections that contained a lot of unstable creative energy. Around the Convention Aisle energies were building to record highs, and one mass struck the Amber Spyglass. This managed to direct the energy into a single beam which fired directly into the the sealed pot containing the Homunculus. (Given the severe unlikeliness of this even occurring, an investigation is underway to determine whether of not a probability-affecting artifact was at play). The large amount of energy was enough to easily pierce the thick clay and burn off a large amount of the neutralizing solution, although it still may have been sufficient to cause a delayed effect. Over the next year following Paracelsus' recapture the Homunculus grew, feeding off the absorbed energy from the Convention Aisle and the artifacts it contained. Birth and Discovery Due to the poorly monitored state of the artifacts in the section, Agent Aden Taylor was bought on in 2014 as an expert on all things "Fandom". He was the first to notice the abnormal drain of energy in the section when he brought in the Poké Ball artifact, noting that it seemed to lose a lot of power the closer it was used to a certain area. By using the artifact as a doswer, repeatedly activating it to note where the power was dissipating towards, he was able to located the sealed Homunculus. Not yet fully trained in Warehouse protocol regarding unusual and unmarked artifacts, he unsealed the pot fully for the first time in almost 500 years. This finally awakened the Homunculus, mutated in a fully formed humanoid creature with elements derived from popular Pokémon designs, a hypothesized result of the Poké Ball so frequently in the last stages of its growth. initially confused and overwhelmed by its new existence, Aden was able to make contact with the creature and somewhat explain its situation using an as of yet unshared and possibly unique form of telepathic communication between them. Taking the name "Azletar" from the Azoth is was conceived in, "he (the Homunculus possess a masculine voice and responds to male pronouns despite lacking any obvious biological indicators) took his place as a Warehouse guardian. Modern History Azletar occasionally wanders into the Bronze Sector and stares for several minutes at the statues of Paracelsus silently. Effects The original Homunculus appears to have had the ability to absorb energy to continue its development. Azletar still possesses this power, and "eats" by exposing himself to heat, electricity or a surplus of artifact energy. This has so far made his extremely useful when Spring Cleaning comes around, and he is able to absorb many static balls before becoming "full" and needing rest. An unusual side effect, possibly due to his unique creation, he can call on the powers of any artifact which he has taken energy from, directly or not. Each artifact ability can only be used for a short time before he needs to "recharge" on that particular artifact, although there seems little to no limit of how many different effects he can hold at one time. This does, however, seem to be based on continued proximity to the artifacts themselves, and he is significantly depowered outside of the Warehouse. He is also negatively affected by Neutralizer, as is acts as an energy blocker. Small amounts make him physically unwell, complete submergence puts him into a near comatose state. No matter how incapacitated he is, a sufficient energy boost can bring him top perfect health. Biologically, he defies almost all medical understanding. Although the bulk of his genome is human DNA, significant parts seem unique to him and are suspected a result of his ever-changing influx or artifact influences. Category:Convention Aisle Category:Per Ankh Category:Artifact